


Dead Ends

by AgentJX7



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Catra (She-Ra)-centric, Catra is Bad at Feelings (She-Ra), F/F, Mutual Pining, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentJX7/pseuds/AgentJX7
Summary: Catra decides to try being happy for a change. Unfortunately for her and Scorpia, the Crimson Waste is full of dead ends.An AU where Catra takes Scorpia up on her offer to stay and run the Crimson Wastes together instead of returning to the Horde at the end of "Once Upon a Time in the Wastes."
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 119





	1. Dead Ends

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, you were expecting fluff after Season Five made all my hopes and dreams a reality? AHAHA, I simply used it as fuel to create more sadness and mutual pining! 
> 
> I'll definitely write fluff later though.

If nothing else, Catra had to give Scorpia points for trying. At the moment of their victory, with Adora at her mercy and the sword in her grasp, suggesting giving up on it all and running away took guts. Her first instinct had been to attempt to discover some way to tell Scorpia that she was fucking crazy and her idea was terrible without crushing her fragile, tender soul, but something in Scorpia’s tone made her hesitate. And then start to listen, a little more intently than she wanted to admit. 

“Forget Hordak. Forget Adora. Forget _all_ of them!” Scorpia’s enthusiasm (and her general lack of ambition, beyond _befriend everything that moves_ ) was the only thing that kept Catra from suspecting some form of manipulation. Any other member of the Horde would almost certainly be using this as bait, one way or another. But Scorpia… wasn’t like the rest of them. 

“We could rule the Crimson Wastes together, just the two of us! We could… y’know… _be happy?_ ” Catra felt herself blush. The suggestion was tempting, but she had responsibilities. And this would finally show Hordak… 

But then again, Scorpia was right. Why did she care what Hordak thought of her? She was running the Crimson Wastes! She’d beaten the gangs and become their undisputed leader in under a day. What the hell did she have left to prove to that bat-faced, self-inflated wannabe conqueror? She bit her lip, then looked back up and met Scorpia’s gaze. 

The look in her eyes was something that Catra didn’t recognize. It wasn’t hostile, it wasn’t judging or vindictive, it was… warm. Hopeful. Kind. It was _good_ , just like everything else about Scorpia. 

And it scared her for some reason.

“I… have to go check on the prisoner. Be right back.” Just before Catra shut the door, she turned back to Scorpia. “I think… you might be right.” Without waiting to see Scorpia’s response, she allowed the door to close behind her.

===

Adora started yelling before Catra was even all the way into the room. She rolled her eyes and motioned for the guard to leave before actually tuning in to whatever her former friend was saying.

“ _Catra!_ You _can’t_ do this!” The righteous fury thing was really getting old. Ever since she’d found that stupid sword… the sword. Catra looked it over in her hand. It was a strange weapon, heavier than it had any right to be by its dimensions but still somehow light enough to swing with one hand. A part of her still wanted to see if that transformation would work for her, but she knew it wouldn’t. _Adora_ was always the special one, not her. Of course it wouldn’t work. And yet, despite all her power and her constant victories and her stupid golden hair and her smile that seemed like it was stopping the world-- _No_ , Catra thought to herself, _you can’t think about that_ \-- despite always being the special one, Adora was the one tied to a post. She couldn’t resist a smirk. 

“Are you even listening? This is serious!” Apparently she’d allowed herself to be distracted by the sword for too long. Best to get this over with. Catra kneeled down so that she was on eye level with Adora, using the sword as an armrest and propping her head up with her fist. 

“Well, hello to you too. Now, what exactly can’t I do? ‘Cause from where I’m sitting, I’m the one holding this magical piece of junk and you’re the one tied up in a cave.”

“You don’t understand! Hordak wants to use the sword to--”

“Hey. Shut it.” Hordak, Hordak, Hordak. It wasn’t enough that she’d beaten Adora, it still had to be about _Hordak_. Catra had had enough. 

“ _What?_ ” Adora sounded surprised. Clearly, not many people had told her to ‘shut it’ since she’d become She-Ra. About damn time. 

“I said _shut it_ , you idiot.” The playful edge had completely gone out of her voice. “I’m still making up my mind, but if you keep driving me up the damn wall about how you know so much better than me I swear I will… I don’t know, _break_ this fucking thing instead.” Her determination was slowly turning to cold fury. Months worth of feelings were spilling out, and she felt powerless to stop it. Adora, mercifully, seemed to take the hint. Catra stood back up and started pacing. 

“I’m done with all of this bullshit. The war, the Horde, the Princesses… _you_. Out here, I’ve made a name for myself already. I run this place now. The gangs all answer to me. I don’t have to take orders from a Hordak, or a Shadow Weaver, or… or… or worry about what _you_ think of me.” Catra watched as Adora’s jaw slowly dropped. It seemed like she’d had some kind of ever-important world-saving hero speech primed and ready to go, and Catra was letting the air out before she could use it. It was more than a little satisfying. 

“So… I’m gonna let you go.” That _really_ seemed to throw Adora. 

“You’re… actually letting me go? Just like that?” Adora was, obviously, skeptical. 

“Yeah, _just like that_.” Catra used the sword to cut the vines holding her, then threw it down at Adora’s feet. “Take that thing and leave. And tell your new friends _never to come here_ . The Crimson Wastes belong to _me_ , got it? If I catch any of your stupid sparkly rebels in my territory, I’ll find a particularly nasty monster to feed them to.” Catra stepped on the sword right as Adora moved to pick it up. “And if it’s _you_ , I swear I will _personally_ **_flay you alive_**. Got it?” Adora nodded, clearly still shocked. Catra moved her foot and let Adora stand. She was still bristling, but something about finally being able to tell Adora to get out felt good. Maybe she actually could be happy here, with-- 

“Come with me.” 

“What?” And just like that, Adora was in control of the situation again. Catra floundered, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Come with me. Please.” Adora’s voice hitched. “Back to Bright Moon.” 

“A-are you… _no?_ ” A curt laugh escaped before Catra could cut it off. She decided to try to play it off with cold sarcasm. “I couldn’t. Princess Sparkles and Commander Crop Top would never--”

“I would. And so would they, if you gave them time.” Adora was standing right by the door, holding out a hand to her. Catra stared at it like she didn’t know what it was. Then, almost imperceptibly, her hand twitched. Adora could tell she was hesitating, maybe even actually considering it. And then she had to go and blow it completely.

“Especially with all the information you have to offer about the Horde… you could really help us out.” Catra recoiled. Of course, even this was still about the Rebellion. How _useful_ she was.

“Right. I can go back with you and be _useful_ , and pray that’s good enough for your new friends. Hard pass.” Something occurred to Catra. 

“Or, _you_ could stay here with _me_.” Adora took a step back. “Ditch the sword somewhere Sparkles will find it, or… I don’t care, _anyone_ else, and stay with me.” She looked up and locked eyes with Adora, and it made Catra falter. There was something about Adora’s gaze. It always felt like she could see right through her manipulations, past whatever bullshit front she was putting up, and see into her. It was frightening, but at the same time she could never bring herself to look away. 

“Catra… I…” The hesitation gave her so much hope, even though she knew it was probably futile. 

“I… can’t." Adora looked away and bit her lip. Catra’s gaze hardened again. "The Rebellion _needs_ me… needs She-Ra.” Of course. Adora had never passed up the chance to be a hero, to be there for _anyone else._ But not for her.

“Really? They _need_ you that bad?” Catra scoffed. “Whatever. What about _you_ ? What do _you_ need, Adora?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Adora couldn’t meet her eyes anymore. “What I want isn’t… it isn’t as important as freeing the planet from Hordak.” The response had come with almost no hesitation. For some reason, that hurt worse than any blow She-Ra had ever landed in a fight. Catra felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. 

“What you want isn’t important. Right, okay. Sounds like your new friends really care a _lot_.” There was bile in her voice now. 

“And this is what _you_ want?” Adora retorted. “To live out here, in this wasteland full of dead ends, with a bunch of murderous bandits who only listen to you because they’re afraid of you?”

“I know what I want.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. _This_ is what I want.” Catra choked on the words. “I want this, and I’m not throwing it away just because _you_ need to keep living out your stupid hero fantasy.” It felt like such a lie. “So you make the choice. Leave, stay, whatever you want-- oh, sorry, whatever you _need to do_ \-- but if you leave, don’t **ever** come back.” It hurt to say, but Catra tried to cover the pain in her voice. 

“Fine. I guess this is goodbye, then.” Adora turned back to her, and Catra met her gaze again. 

There was something there in Adora’s eyes. It wasn’t the same as what she’d seen in Scorpia, and it was buried under layers of resentment and anger, but there was something there. It was powerful, and it called to Catra. It made her want to throw herself at Adora and apologize, admit it was all her fault, agree to go back to Bright Moon, do _anything_ just to stay with her. 

And then Adora was gone, and it felt like she’d ripped out a part of her heart and taken it with her. 

Catra sat down in the cave and felt herself starting to cry. For once, she made no attempt to stop it. 

===

Three Months Later

===

If there was one real benefit to living in the Crimson Wastes, it was the weather. On clear nights like this one, standing outside was almost therapeutic by itself. The wind traced its way across the dunes softly, whispering quietly to itself. Far from the smog of Hordak’s machines and the forges of war, the air smelled clean. Sometimes it carried the scents of desert flowers, scents that were easier for Catra to pick up. Even though the flowers weren’t supposed to exist she’d learned where to find them. It was one of her favorite things to do these days. 

Not that there were many options. As she and Scorpia had quickly learned, the Crimson Wastes were full of dead ends-- canyons that went nowhere, paths that had faded into the desert, people with nowhere left to go and no one left to care about them. 

In a way, she felt like she’d hit a dead end with Scorpia too. Their friendship was still great-- better than ever, actually-- but she kept feeling like there was something unsaid between them, a tension that made it very hard for the two of them to be alone together. So far every tactic she’d tried to get past it had been a spectacular failure. She was not looking forward to her next attempt. 

An attempt that looked to be coming much sooner than anticipated. Catra heard the scuffle of Scorpia’s feet well before she actually reached her. It was immediately clear that she was once again trying to be inconspicuous and, once again, was anything but. Sneaking was never her strong suit. 

“Oh, Catra! I didn’t know you were out here.” Scorpia laughed a little, a sound that Catra was admittedly pressed to find any issue with. “Boy, it’s a lovely night. Just… really wonderful. So good for walking, or standing, or… talking.” Catra felt herself grit her teeth. 

“Yeah, right,” Catra said quietly. “It’s peaceful.” She was still hoping that Scorpia might take the hint and stay quiet so they could enjoy the evening together. Unfortunately, taking hints wasn’t Scorpia’s strong suit either. 

“Yeah. Not to mention the aridity does wonders for my shell… Oh! Did you hear? The scouts came back from that village on the border. They said they managed to convince them to join up, and they didn’t even have to beat the tar out of anyone first.” Scorpia smiled and moved closer to Catra. 

“That’s great.” She tried to smile back, but it came across a lot sadder than she’d hoped it would. 

“Yeah… apparently, you’re getting a reputation. As a _good leader_.” Catra felt her face flush. “Someone who can fight off the Horde or the princesses, who sticks up for the people of the Wastes. Who cares about us.” 

“I… didn’t know they saw me like that.” Catra had to admit the praise felt good. 

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re still scary beyond all reason,” Scorpia said with a short laugh. “I mean, who knew someone who was so cute and fluffy--” Catra’s glare cut her off. “Sorry, uh, someone who… okay, you know what I mean. But they respect you for more than that. I’d say that's a reason to celebrate.” There was still the same energy in her voice that Catra had heard the night Scorpia convinced her to stay. That energy picked her up on days when she started to get down… which was getting to be more days than not. 

“Yeah, I guess…” Scorpia picked up on the lack of enthusiasm. Usually, just _suggesting_ a party was enough to get Catra to perk up. 

“What’s eating you, Wildcat?” Scorpia said, a note of clear concern in her voice.

“Nothing. It just… still feels like I’m missing something, you know?” Catra turned away. She really didn’t want to trouble Scorpia with whatever feelings she was having. 

Three months should have been more than enough time to adjust. Three months of living away from Hordak and Shadow Weaver and their toxic games, of victory after victory, of celebrations and parties and actually enjoying being alive. Three months with Scorpia. And three months without Adora. She should’ve been happier than ever before… but when she was alone with her thoughts, it all came back. Despite being surrounded by friends, Catra was still so lonely. 

“Sometimes it feels like this whole place is full of dead ends.” She said it quietly, the words Adora had said that night welling back up when she least expected them. 

“Dead ends…?” Scorpia sounded confused, and potentially a little hurt. Catra knew she was going to have to tread carefully. 

“It’s nice living here. I do feel better than when I was with the Horde, but… it’s called the Crimson Wastes for a reason.” She turned back to Scorpia, but couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s just--” Something in Scorpia’s expression made her stop. 

“Hey. Can I say something?” The look on Scorpia’s face was soft, and for some reason it was making Catra very nervous. 

“I know things have been weird between us the past couple days. But there’s something I need to say.” Scorpia locked eyes with her, and suddenly Catra understood. It was terrifying. 

“Oh, no,” Catra said in a voice that was barely a whisper. 

“Listen. Wildcat… no, _Catra_. These few months have been the best of my life. And I know they’ve made you happy too. I know you might not believe it yet, but you need to move on. Forget about Adora and the rest of them.” Catra could hear the emotion in her voice. Her head was spinning. She had to get out, get _away_ , find some way to stop this before… before one of them got hurt. Badly hurt.

“Scorpia.”

“And… this is a little selfish of me, but I want you to be happy for me too.” Now Scorpia was blushing, and it was starting to make Catra freak out. 

“ _Scorpia._ ” 

“I’m happy when you’re happy, Wildcat. Because I--”

“ _Scorpia, don't._ ” Catra let the commanding edge back into her voice, and it finally worked. 

“What?” Scorpia looked surprised, and it hurt Catra more than she liked to admit to continue. But she had to.

“Scorpia, listen. You’re right… about some of that stuff, anyway.” Catra took the sentence one word at a time, trying to find the right way to lay everything out without hurting Scorpia. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been. And it’s because of you.” Catra looked away, and her hesitation said almost as much as her words did. She could tell that Scorpia was disappointed, but she had to keep going.

“You’re a good friend, Scorpia. But I haven’t been a good friend to you. And I can’t keep leading you on, even by accident.” Her expression darkened. “I can’t let someone else go through that.” Not after what she’d been through. She knew the pain that kind of… feeling could cause, and she wasn’t going to let Scorpia end up like her. Better to hurt her a little bit now, all at once, rather than let her burn herself up slowly chasing something she couldn’t have. 

“Catra, I…”

“I know.” She reached out and took Scorpia’s claw. “But… I can’t. Not like that. Even if I had some feelings, I’d just ruin you. I can’t give you back what you’re giving to me.” Her gaze wandered back to the horizon, to where you could just make out the very edge of the Whispering Woods as a line of green at the very extent of vision. 

Scorpia watched her and said nothing, but it was obvious she understood. After a moment, she dropped Catra’s hand and turned away. 

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Her voice was quiet, but Catra could feel the hurt. It broke her up, knowing she’d done that to her friend. 

“You don’t have to apologize to me. _I’m_ sorry that I can’t--”

“No. You’re doing the right thing.” Scorpia turned back to her and smiled sadly. “I’m not sorry for my feelings. I’m sorry that you… that _she’s_ left you like this. But when you’re ready to move on… I’ll be here. By your side. Like a _good friend._ ” Without another word, she walked back down the slope to the camp and left Catra alone again. 

Catra watched her go until the white tuft of her hair disappeared beneath the rim of the canyon. The Wastes suddenly seemed very cold. She felt isolated, caught out at the edge of the world underneath the vast, empty sky. 

She couldn’t stop herself from turning back to the Woods. Adora was somewhere out there. Even though it had been months, and they hadn’t seen each other, Catra hoped she felt the same way. As much as she’d denied it, tried to move on, Adora still had a hold on her, and the only hope she had left was that Adora was just as stuck here as she was. Just as alone.

If she was going to burn quietly like this, she at least hoped Adora was burning too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think this went well. Definitely a lot of potential in this AU, and I do have an idea of how I could evolve it beyond this one shot... or potential first chapter, depending. I'm still not sure if I wanna do that yet, though. I'm considering, and the one thing that definitely motivates me is interest, so go ahead leave a comment if you feel strongly. Thanks!


	2. Making Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the Horde's claims that they want peace, Adora can't help but feel like something's missing from their negotiations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I'm convinced. Buckle up.

“I still think this is a bad idea.”

“Relax. It’s worth the risks.” Glimmer’s nonchalance usually made Adora feel better, but today things were a little more important than a casual brush-off. 

“It’s a trap. We’re fighting the Horde for years, and then all of the sudden Hordak wants to negotiate?” Adora huffed. “I’m giving you ninety percent odds right now that Catra’s planning something, and this ‘peace talk’ is nothing but bait.”

“Catra?” Glimmer snickered. “Come on, Adora. We haven’t seen her in months. She’s either still out there in the Crimson Wastes playing Bandit Queen, or Hordak finally got tired of her and…” Adora’s glare cut her off. “...Sorry. Catra’s definitely fine. I just… find it unlikely that this is a trap set by her.”

“I wouldn’t put it past her.”   
“Yes! See, Bow agrees with me.” 

“I didn’t say that, just that disguising a peace accord as a trap is definitely something she would do.” Bow rubbed the back of his neck, clearly anxious. “But Glimmer has a point too. Catra’s been missing for weeks now.”

“Which clearly means she’s working on something big. Last time she went missing for multiple weeks she used the Black Garnet to hack the planet and then attacked Bright Moon, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, Adora, this is supposed to be a _peace_ meeting. If you go in there assuming they’re up to something, it’s not going to look good.” Bow’s concern was rational, but Adora couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this meeting than a normal peace accord. Everything about the set-up _screamed_ Catra to her.

“Fine. I’ll play nice,” she said with a huff. “But I’m going in transformed.”

“She-Ra might be a little intimidating, but suit yourself--” Glimmer had hardly finished the sentence before Adora had the sword out. 

“For the honor of Grayskull!” Magical energy swelled within her, and in a flash of golden light she transformed into She-Ra. 

“Feel better now?” Glimmer asked, clearly 

“No. This is definitely still a trap.” Despite the feeling of intense magical power bubbling just below the surface, being She-Ra felt… foggy sometimes. This was one of those times. Despite the knowledge that any trap the Horde could throw at them would (most likely) fail to contain She-Ra, Adora couldn’t shake her mistrust. It almost felt worse after she’d transformed, like every molecule was screaming at her that the Horde would never stop until they’d won or been completely destroyed. It was not a comfortable feeling.

“Look, I understand. I don’t trust the Horde either. And yeah, a peace meeting is a little suspect after everything they’ve done. But it’s our duty to try. We have to stop the war, right? This could be a real chance.”

“Yeah, if Hordak isn’t lying and playing us all for fools.”

“I’m willing to take that chance!” Glimmer said brightly. “We’re here.” She was clearly done discussing the imminent trap that they were walking into, so Adora decided to stop pushing the subject-- for the moment.

Hordak had requested a meeting at a border town Adora had never heard of while fighting for _either_ side, which meant it was exceptionally irrelevant. The place had been abandoned much earlier in the war, and now neither side seemed particularly eager to waste troops and resources trying to hold it completely. This complete lack of importance, coupled with a fairly remote border location, made it an ideal location for peace talks. Admittedly, if there had been some kind of trap it would have been much easier somewhere closer to the Fright Zone, but Adora was sure Catra had just anticipated that’d be the first thing she’d notice. She was really getting _devious_ lately, what with capturing her and letting her go for no reason just to screw with her and then vanishing for weeks and making Adora miss her to the point she was starting to have dreams about them. Clearly, her latest evil plan was working _flawlessly_ , and she had everyone else fooled. 

The inside of the building the Horde had indicated in their transmission had been almost completely bombed out during one of the many, many battles of the war, but someone had gone through the trouble of setting up a big round meeting table in the middle of the main room. Adora immediately didn’t trust it.

“Booby-trapped table. Calling it right now.” Glimmer rolled her eyes. 

“How on _Etheria_ are you suspicious of a table? What could it even do?”

“Well… it’s probably got some form of _net_. On the _inside_. And when we sit down, it’ll pop _out_ and trap us all and then--”

“First of all, that’s insane.” Glimmer cut her off before she could finish her totally-plausible net theory. “Second of all, do you really think if they were plotting something, their whole plan would revolve around a net? That seems kinda weak compared to the rest of their stuff.”

“Oh, yeah, if I was plotting to trap you guys I’d use something _way_ more secure than a net.” All three of them whipped around and came face to face with Entrapta, who clearly still had no concept of what being on opposite sides meant. “Like an antimagic energy field. Or a _really big_ magnet. OOH, I could always combine the two and take you all out with one device!”

“Entrapta!” Adora sounded a lot jumpier than she wanted to. “Don’t _do_ that! I was about to take your head off with this thing.” 

“Why would you do that?” Entrapta looked genuinely confused. “This is a peace meeting.”

“Because you-- look, never mind.” This was already proving to be as exasperating as any meeting with the Horde, and Catra hadn’t even shown up yet. If Adora wanted to keep some semblance of a good mood, she needed to make this quick. “Where’s Hordak?” 

“He’s not coming in until Angella gets here. He sent me to discuss terms for the meeting.” Entrapta pulled out her data pad and started scrolling through what looked to be an impressive list of rules or conditions or something. Adora failed to suppress a groan, which Entrapta either didn’t notice or ignored completely. She heard Glimmer and Bow snickering behind her.

“Would you prefer to start by discussing who’s going to be allowed into the room, acceptable presence of weapons, or… the type of candy we’re putting on the table? Now, I don’t want to influence things too much, but I was thinking tiny cupcakes. I know that’s not really a candy, but--”

“Entrapta.” Adora cocked an eyebrow impatiently. “This is kind of important.”

“I _know!_ The wrong kind of snack could totally wreck the mood. Hordak told me it didn’t matter, but I had a feeling you guys would see it my way.”

“Not the _candy,_ the peace talks. Look, is Catra here?” Adora did her best to pretend that her voice had sounded stern and not hopeful.

“Catra? No, just me.” Entrapta didn’t even look up from her data pad. Before Adora could follow up on this new and interesting line of questioning, Glimmer pushed past her-- which was admittedly pretty impressive, given that she was currently nine feet of pure muscle.

“Look, Entrapta, Adora’s a little grouchy today. Adora, why don’t you check for traps while Bow and I handle the negotiating?” Glimmer smiled brightly at her, the type of grin that had the potential to inflict cavities, then grabbed Bow and started to lead Entrapta off the minute she groaned out a reluctant _yes_ . “Now, let’s think about this logically. Why limit ourselves to just _one_ type of candy?”

“Oh my goooooooooosh, you’re a genius.” Entrapta walked away with them, and Adora could tell by their expressions that all three of them were taking the business of what kind of candy would be present at the most important meeting in a hundred years more seriously than was merited. Adora rolled her eyes and tuned them out, then sighed quietly. At least _one_ of them was taking this seriously. 

Slowly, she paced around the room surveying every possible object for hidden traps or other deceptions and occasionally giving something she found suspicious an inquisitive poke with her sword. Every sense she had was still screaming “trap” at her, but she couldn’t find anything. A part of her-- a very large, very loud part-- was still expecting everything to go south with a smug grin and a _Hey, Adora_ . A smaller part of her wanted it to happen. If Catra had been there, at least she’d _know_. The not knowing was the hardest part. 

You’d think that three months of not seeing someone you were pretty convinced regarded herself as your mortal enemy would be a good thing. Adora had felt pretty good after the first week had passed without one of Catra’s schemes. One week became two, which became four, which became eight, and suddenly it didn’t feel like winning anymore. 

It felt an awful lot like losing, actually. Like something very important had suddenly dropped out of her life.

Adora sighed to herself and continued checking the room for spring-loaded nets. Whatever game Catra-- the Horde was playing, she had to make sure she was one step ahead. The nature of the meeting meant that Angella was going to be exposed, and that wasn’t a risk anyone took lightly. 

===

If the meeting was indeed bait for a trap, it seemed like the actual trap involved _boring them all to death_ . Negotiations were entering hour five, and after a _very_ exciting opening things had started to drag worse than a skiff with a low battery. Glimmer and Bow were currently napping. They admittedly looked pretty cute, with Glimmer slumped against Bow’s chest, but even if she was tempted to join them in resting Adora was determined to stay vigilant. The other shoe she was certain existed would finally have to drop at _some_ point. Even if Angella and Hordak had been discussing something in private for the last hour and thirty minutes. 

After thoroughly inspecting the room and uncovering an unfortunate deficiency in terms of spring-loaded nets, Adora had begrudgingly given the go-ahead for the actual meeting. First a bunch of Horde troopers came in, then a bunch of very tense rebellion troops took up positions on the opposite side of the room. Adora stood with the rebellion on one side, looking across at where Entrapta was standing with her old squad-- sans Catra. Then Angella entered, looking pale and tragic, followed by Hordak, who mostly looked tired. Something clearly had him in a state-- either the Horde was in a worse position than anyone had expected, or something _else_ was worrying him. Adora didn’t want to know what it was if it was the second one. 

The actual negotiations had kicked off with a big speech from Hordak about how the conflict had drawn on far too long, and both sides had suffered bitter and protracted losses. Angella retorted with a passionate-sounding (but, as Adora couldn’t help but notice, also extremely tired) speech about how the Horde was evil and they were hurting the planet and everyone on it, and that the Rebellion would continue to fight until Hordak was defeated. Then came the bombshell: Hordak _agreed_ with Angella. 

The Horde, he’d said, had been evil. Hordak himself hadn’t ever seen it that way, for reasons he promised to explain to Angella, but he understood now. And he needed to make amends for the things he’d done, as well as prepare for… something he was oddly reticent to discuss in a public forum. Angella had been shocked speechless initially, clearly anticipating a fiery clash of ideals instead. Hordak made it clear that if the Rebellion would agree to end the war and enter some form of alliance with the Horde, he’d be willing to pull back to the Fright Zone and end his campaigns on all fronts. It wasn’t something Adora had ever expected to hear, so it came as quite the shock. The air in the meeting for the first few minutes after that had been electric, but things had quickly started to drag on. 

Now Adora was slumped up against her sword, stubbornly refusing to shut her eyes. She’d had to drop her She-Ra form after the first couple of hours, so the fuzz in her head was simple exhaustion and not magical confusion. She perked up when Angella finally emerged from the little room that Hordak had set up for privacy. Angella looked very, very worried about something, which did _not_ bode well. 

“Adora, you better get Glimmer and Bow up and come in here.” Angella’s voice was measured, but behind the calm Adora could tell she’d been thoroughly unsettled. “Hordak wants to talk to you all. Don’t worry,” she added off Adora’s concerned look, “I’ll still be in there. He’s not going to try anything.” Adora wasn’t convinced, but she was also desperate for something more interesting to happen, so she got to her feet and went to shake Glimmer and Bow awake. 

“Come on, guys, something’s finally happening. Hordak wants to see us.”

“Goddess, what time is it?” Glimmer yawned. 

“It’s almost midnight.”

“Oh, geez.” Bow pushed himself upright. “The last thing I remember is something about trade routes around Salinas. What have I missed?”

“Literally nothing interesting. I was going to start pulling my hair out of my skull, especially after Angella and Hordak went into their weird little secret negotiation, but now Hordak wants to see us.”

“Us?” Bow looked surprised. “Hordak knows who we are?”

“He definitely knows She-Ra.” Glimmer elbowed Adora playfully. “And you and I have certainly trashed enough of his bots for him to take notice. What do you think he wants to talk about?”

“Maybe he’s going to taunt us?”

“About what?” Glimmer snorted. “He’s practically _surrendering_. If anything, we could taunt him.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t like the sound of it,” Adora said with a grimace. “Your mom seemed really worried when she came out to get me. And from what I know about Hordak, it’d take something _really_ bad to make him surrender.” 

Despite the warm night air, Adora felt herself shiver. She almost wished that this _had_ been one of Catra’s traps. The alternate was starting to seem much, much worse. 

===

Hordak’s meeting room was a lot more cramped than Adora had been expecting. There was a long table set up in the middle, covered from end to end in maps, diagrams, and about seven different types of candy bowls. Hordak was standing at the other end of the table, and if anything he looked even more exhausted than he had when he arrived. Two Horde troopers wearing the special armor that marked them as Hordak’s personal guard flanked a door at the opposite end. Entrapta and one of the scientists from Bright Moon were examining some diagrams in one corner and talking in hushed tones. The scientist looked nervous. Entrapta looked like she was having the time of her life. Adora didn’t have time to catch what she was saying before Hordak noticed them.

“Adora. It has been some time since we met face-to-face.” He extended a hand, and Adora failed to suppress a gasp. He wasn’t wearing his armor, and Adora got her first good look at his body without it. He looked frail, almost degenerated, a stark contrast to the warrior she’d seen practically tossing tanks around on the battlefield. Glimmer and Bow were both clearly unsettled by his appearance, but Hordak seemed to find their reactions to him amusing. 

“I apologize. Entrapta’s working on some new armor for me, but I had to temporarily remove the prototype.” After another moment of hesitation, Adora shook his hand. “You three are some of the Rebellion’s best fighters, and Angella thought it would be wise to share my knowledge of our present situation with you.” Angella put her hand on Glimmer’s shoulder as Hordak began his long-winded and _extremely_ dire explanation.

The situation was far worse than any of them had expected. Adora had known Hordak wasn’t from Etheria for a while now, but apparently he was actually a clone of someone called Horde Prime, who had an empire that spanned galaxies. They were hopelessly outmanned and outgunned, and the only advantage they had going for them was that Entrapta had stopped Hordak before he’d been able to successfully make contact. It sounded an awful lot like this Horde Prime was who Mara had been fighting when she’d put Etheria into Despondos in the first place, and Adora didn’t like their chances if _Mara_ had decided the only solution was to run and hide. 

“So… that’s where we stand now.” Hordak shifted, seemingly a little uncomfortable. “Do you have any questions, or…?”

“Where’s Catra?” Adora blurted out. It was almost like an automatic response. She realized that she’d asked the question far too quickly and kicked herself mentally. Hordak smirked at her, clearly amused. 

“My former lieutenant and Force Captain Scorpia were last seen heading off into the Crimson Wastes almost three months ago. We haven’t had any contact with them, but some informants seem to believe that they’ve deserted me. Normally I’d go after them, but I had more pressing matters to deal with.” 

Adora did her best to conceal her surprise. Even with as much evidence as she’d gotten over the past few weeks, she hadn’t actually expected Catra to be satisfied running the wastes for longer than a couple weeks at most. She recalled what she’d said to Catra the last time they’d spoken. 

Adora almost felt like _she_ was the one who kept running into dead ends. It was a cruel bit of irony, and one that was starting to resent more and more. 

===

The site of the meeting was buzzing with activity. Troops from both sides of the war were starting to mingle, and the general air of hope had everyone optimistic that the war would actually be ending soon. It was more than a little chaotic, and in that clamor nobody noticed one of Hordak’s personal guards step out of the meeting room and slip away towards the exits. Unseen by either the Horde or the Alliance, the guard removed their helmet and pulled out a hidden data pad. As the data pad booted up, the figure’s eyes closed horizontally as they dropped the appearance of the guard they’d been impersonating. 

“Hello, Kitten,” Double Trouble said with a smirk. “You are not going to _believe_ what I’ve found out so far.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's two down! I've got the groundwork of a plot laid out for this AU, but only time will tell how well my terrible brain can translate that into words other people can read.   
> I know the decision to make the Horde move for peace might be a little bold, but I very much believe that if Catra's meltdown at the end of Season 3 hadn't happened, Entrapta would've pushed Hordak in the right direction pretty quickly. Don't worry, though, things are just getting started...


End file.
